


Holiday Shifts

by mazabm



Series: world shifts series [2]
Category: Daredevil (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Christmas Fluff, F/F, F/M, Gen, Jewish Frank Castle, Multi, the Christmas past leading to Christmas present
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-09-30 09:38:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17221484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mazabm/pseuds/mazabm
Summary: Non-canon compliant addition to world shiftsHow the Castle Family celebrates the holidays in the before, middle, and aftermath





	Holiday Shifts

**Six Years Before Death**

”Hey hun, ”  Maria leans over the video on her laptop, one of her children tucked into one side, their smiles lit by the computer screen.  The timezone difference is obvious, Frank is surrounded by sunlight and he smiles, she can’t stop herself from smiling back. ”I don't get much time but you know I love you.”

”That Maria?”  they hear in the background, and Frank rolls his eyes.  ”Hey kids, I'm keeping your dad out of trouble, don't overstuff yourselves, okay.”  Frank shoves Billy from where he shines, his teeth sparkling in the video and they hear him laugh as he goes down. Frank focuses on the camera, and his smile is warm and Maria sighs. Frankie places his tiny hand on the screen.

”I love you guys so much, listen to your ma, have a Merry Christmas.”

”Have a Merry Christmas!!”  they hear from multiple men in the background.

”I love you too,” Maria whispers as the screen goes black.

”Can we watch it again?”  Lisa asks tugging on her shirt.  ”Please, ”

“Yes, of course.”

**Eight Months After Death**

“You know where you should be.”  Karen hasn’t turned around from where she’s cooking in the kitchen but she doesn’t have to, not when she hears his combat boots stomp back into her apartment, into her life.  

“You have more intel for me?”  He asks, ignoring her, ignoring his past.

“Check the table.”  She sets her pot to simmer and turns around, looking at him, the silver skull mask is on the floor, as is his black duffle bag, (no dog, this time, thankfully) she watches him tug his jacket off, and she knows that there are blood stains in that black shirt. "You know this is going to be her first Christmas without you there,”  And she’s not really sure why she says it, why she wants to watch the flinch in his shoulders when she takes the knife that is his family and jabs it in.

“It’s not.”   He says quietly, sitting.  “I’ve missed Christmas before,”

“With the Marines?  Did you even celebrate Christmas, with the whole,”

“Jewish thing?”  And if she hadn’t known him for the non-emotional brick he tried to be, she would almost think he was making a joke.  “My parents were old, I was a bad kid, I wouldn’t go to the Synagogue, I didn’t do everything I was supposed to. Maria’s family once she found out she was pregnant, got the first say in the kids, I mean, their Catholics so”

“You were overseas when Frankie was born.”  And he has that look on his face again, like they’re right there in front of them and she knows, right now, she could jab that knife deeper but she doesn’t. “What would you get them for Christmas?”

“Videos, written notes.”  He looks down at his hands.  “Maria would send food for the guys, Billy got books,”  She sees the way his hands' clinch. _Go home Frank_ , she almost says it aloud, but something stops her.  “You never said what you wanted for Christmas.” He says it as if he asked her and she looks at him sharply.

“I want you to finish this,”  And that answer is easy, as easy as it was for her to shake his hand when he asked for her help, as easy as it was for her to sit across from him in diners and demand that he talk about his family. “And to get out of my apartment,”

“You got plans?”  Like he doesn’t know that the moment she got more interested in him, her whole world changed, as if Matt will come back to life and Foggy will come home, but he looks up at her and she recognizes the loneliness in his eyes.

“Do you?”  He chuckles (that mirthless chuckle of his) and shakes his head.

“I was gonna crash here, my safehouse got burned.”  And her blood goes cold (some part of her hates him for this, for reminding her that she can’t ever be normal, that she has vigilantes and villains in every move) “No one followed me, Page.” And she finds herself nodding.

“Fine, take the sofa, you know where the blanket is.” And she turns her way back into the kitchen.  “You can have some if you want.” He doesn’t answer her, and when she looks back at him, he’s already flipping through the folder in front of him.

“Merry Christmas, Frank.”  She says quietly.

 

“Mama! I told you that we would come and here we are. I told you not to worry.”  

“Aba!”  Two smaller bodies hug the older woman and Maria turns away from her mother with a roll of her eyes.

“Well normally it is too expensive for you all to come, must be that new job of yours.” And that’s a jab that her mother couldn’t refuse to take.

“Mama,”  She groans.  “Papa!” She embraces the man, it’s comforting, being here.  

“I’ve missed you, mija, when was the last time you were here, it’s been too long.”  The last time she was here was with Frank and from the way she sees her mom bump her dad, they know that.  “I am so sorry about Frank.”

“We’re okay.”  And it’s been months but she can say it. “Lisa, Frankie, take the bags inside.”  They scamper away and her father follows after them.

“It will be okay, Maria.”  Her mother says holding her gently in a hug.  “Like any other Christmas.”

It’s not like any other Christmas.  She sits around the tables with her cousins, she hasn’t seen in years, she’s quiet, even as they loudly laugh and pat each other on the back.  Lisa looks enthralled, Frankie looks a little overwhelmed. He stands with her outside, holds her hand.

“It’s a lot warmer here than back home.”  He says looking up at her.

“You know I never saw snow until I moved to New York?”

“Really, it never snows here?”  And the fact that he can still have so much amazement in his voice makes her smile.

Billy sends her a short text that simply reads Merry Christmas while Curtis calls and tells her to stay safe.

“It’s called moving on, mija.”  Her mother says after they put the kids to sleep in the guest room. “It doesn’t get better, but you move on for them, for you.”  She feels tears enter in her eyes and her mother holds her as she did many months ago.

“I miss him so much, mama, I miss him.”  

“I know, but you know he’s always here with you.”

  **4 years before Death**

“Frank, go check the stove,”  Maria says. “Lisa stop moving, you have something on your face, we’ll be late for mass.” 

“I don’t even know why we’re going,”  Frank grumbles behind her, fixing his tie. “Billy won’t be here till later.”

“You know we’re going because my mother said she’ll meet us there and if we are late after she came to visit, with Papa being too sick to come, she’ll be insufferable.”  He chuckles, zips up her dress without her having to ask, Lisa finally manages to get away from her grip.

“I’ll go check on Frankie.”  The girl says before dashing out the room.

“Lisa.”  Maria hisses reaching her arms out to grab her and Frank laughs again, taking her hands   “Baby, relax.” He tells her softly, kissing the top of her head.  “We’re going to be fine.” They hear an oven slam shut and both of them freeze.

“The stove,”  Maria isn’t sure who gets down the stairs quicker.  “Frankie!”

**Two Years After Death**

Karen holds the crock pot in her hands. She knocked a second ago but she’s already nervous shivering in front of their house. She smiles at the silver menorah that sits on the windowsill.  

“Good, you’re here.” Frank says as he opens the door and pulls the crock pot from her hands. He drops a quick kiss on her forehead and continues into the kitchen.

“Maria?”  She asks as she enters the kitchen behind him.

“Her parents gonna be here in 30, she’s been freaking out.”  They hear a thump above their hands and both look up. Karen in surprise, Frank like he's evaluating if he’s needed.  

“Her parents are coming?”  And there must be something in her voice by the way that Frank looks at her over his shoulder at her unimpressed.

“It’s not a big thing, she’s worried about the kids slipping up and telling them the truth about me,” He tells her gently. “Frankie,” He says raising his voice and they hear quick thumps as a child moves down the stairs.  

“Mom is trying to get his hair to lay down.  I can help.” And Karen smiles at Lisa who runs to hug her with an excited squeal. 

“Set the table,”  Frank tells his daughter. “Keep an eye out for your grandparents.”  And they both grin when she salutes.

“Frank, I could do that,”  Karen says (she feels out of place, like how she felt sitting down with Ellison, it feels like a family in here)

“You could, but then I wouldn’t be able to do this.”  And he’s pulling her close to him, letting her head drift to his shoulder. “I missed you.”  He says into her hair and he literally saw her last night, it had been a Punisher night and he had ended it lying next to her, pretending he was sleeping. She rolls her eyes, presses her hand into his side just to hear his grunt from where she presses into a bruise.

“Karen, thank God,” Maria says and Karen doesn’t even move when she feels the other woman press into her back.  She’s surrounded by their peace and just settles in the hug.

“Maria,”  She hears Frank hiss.  “The gift.” And the other woman groans, releasing herself from the hug.

“Before my parents got here, we wanted to give you this.” And Maria holds a small box in her hand, offering it out to her. 

“I,” She starts and the other two are already waving her off.  Maria looks at Frank and he looks at her from over Karen’s shoulder and that left out feeling comes back.

“We’ll open your gift later, we just want you to have this, now. Just so you know where you stand, with us.”  And Maria is a pro at speaking before a board, it’s interesting to see her seem so out of her league in front of them.  And it’s in that little kitchen, looking across at each other that Karen opens her box and gasps.

“I can’t,”

“You can,” Frank says, his voice low but soft in her ears.  “We should have given you one a long time ago.” And Maria takes her hand, looks up at her.

“You’re our partner, and we trust you, plus you already knew where all the extra keys were, you might as well have one of your own.” And Karen just leans in and kisses her and the other woman breaks it by laughing softly. “Karen,”

“Thank you so much.”  She says not letting her finish her sentence before tilting her head up to kiss Frank as well, who leans into her kiss.

“Remember,”  He tells her.  “You always got a place with us.”

“Always,”  Maria affirms and that’s how they are standing, holding hands in a loose circle, a few minutes later when Lisa runs in.

“Aba and Abu are here!”  They reluctantly break hands, each sharing different looks, Karen looks at Frank, who's doing his best to remain cool, while Maria definitely shifts into a freaked out mode.

“It’s going to be fine,”  Frank tells Maria who shakes her head at him and leaves the door already calling out to her mother.

“You think next year I can invite Matt and Foggy?” Karen asks Frank and the look Frank gives her is one warning her that has her laughing loudly and he squeezes her hand once before he follows after his wife. 

"Papa, Mama!  It's so good to see you."  And she smiles. They’ll be just fine, they’re together after all and moving on.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't like this but I wanted to get back in this universe before I tried a fix-it fic before season 2 and what better than a holiday fic!  
> The timeline is kinda weird   
> Oh and Frank definitely gets the family a puppy (and they celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas the last year!)


End file.
